Qantas does U-turn on call for Christmas volunteers

After a barrage of criticism by unions and on social media, Qantas back-pedalled on its call for head office volunteers to lend a hand in frontline positions during the Christmas holidays.

The airline’s efforts to spread ‘a bit of Christmas cheer’ backfired with accusations of ‘wage theft’ and ‘corporate greed.’

The airline said it will now only have 50 senior managers and executives helping out

The airline had sought office staff to help out on check-in, departure gates, arrivals hall and transfer desks.

"The intent of our volunteer programme has always been for head office employees to spread a bit of Christmas cheer and spend more time with our customers and airport teams over the busy period," a Qantas spokesman said.

"We recognise that some of the planned activity this year went further than previous years, so we have made some changes. Our team at Sydney International Airport do a fantastic job supporting our customers and our executives are looking forward to supporting them over the Christmas period."